Fireproof door.



J. A. WHEELER.

FIREPROOF DOOR.

APPLICATION IILBD FEB. 10. 1912. RENEWED MAY 29, 1914.

.L1%35%%1 o Patented Jan.5,1915.

STATES ATENT UFFFE.

JAMES A. WHEELER, 0]? SOMERSET COUNTY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 WILLIAM T.

ELKINTON, OP PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FIREPROOF DOOR.

Application filed February 10, 1912, Serial No. 676,818.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. WHEELER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the county of Somerset, in the State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fireproof Doors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fireproof doors of that class which are constructed of an external casing of artificial fireproof lumber inclosing metallic elements, and it has for its object to provide a simple and improved fireproof door of this character which will be simple and inexpensive in construction and which will furthermore possess advantages in point of lightness, strength, effectiveness and general efficiency.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a face view of the door embodying my improvements, partly broken away to show the interior construction. Fig. 2 is a detail horizontal cross-section, on the line wa2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail vertical cross-section, on the line y-y, Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a detail vertical cross-section, on line zz, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail cross-section, showing the employment of a wear strip or plate at the edge of the door.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are denoted by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a plate or sheet of fireproof material, which conforms to and extends over the entire area of the door and constitutes the main portion thereof. This plate or sheet is preferably formed of a rigid non-metallic composition of low heat conductivity and undeformable by heat, and I prefer to use for this purpose the composition which is commercially known as alignum and which is constituted by a suitable filler including asbestos and combined with a fireproof binder to produce a plastic substance which is molded into shape and compressed and dried in a rigid structure. The main sheet 1 may be a single sheet of suitable thickness, or it may be constituted, as herein shown, by two or more sheets adhesively secured together at their adjoining surfaces and homogeneously constituting the plate or sheet 1 of desired thickness. The sheet 1 forms the door panel and constitutes the main body of the door.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915..

Renewed May 29, 1914. Serial No. 841,963.

Surrounding the outer edge of the panel sheet 1, is a frame which is secured in connection with the sheet 1 and extends around the edge portion of the door, which frame constitues a rigid structure bracing and reinforcing the main sheet 1 and entirely inclosing a central area or space. This frame comprises bars or strips, 2-2, extending at opposite sides of the outer edge portion of the main sheet 1, and bars or strips, 3-3, correspondingly extending at opposite sides of the main sheet 1 at a point a suitable distance from the outer edge of said sheet. The outer face of the strips 2 constitutes the edge portion of the door, and the outer face of the strips 3 forms the inner side of the frame which surrounds the main sheet 1 and may be ornamentally molded, as at 4. The sides of the surrounding frame are formed by plates or sheets, 5-5, which are respectively secured to the outer side faces of the strips 2 and 3 in any suitable manner, preferably by means of screws, as at 6, hav ing their heads in countersunk recesses in the sheets 5 so that the plane surface of the latter is not impaired. The strips 2 and 3 may likewise be secured in connection with the main sheet 1 by means of screws or in any other suitable manner. The side sheets 5 of the surrounding frame, when secured in connection with the strips 2 and 3 of said frame, inclose a central area or space which constitutes an air chamber, as at 7, at opposite sides of the main panel sheet 1, whereby the fireproof quality of the door is enhanced, and said elements of said surrounding frame conjointly form an external casing which entirely incloses the interior metallic elements contained therein. The bars or strips 2 and 3 and the side plates or sheets 5 of said surrounding frame are constituted by fireproof material corresponding to the fireproof characteristics of the main panel sheet 1 and likewise formed of a rigid nonmetallic composition undeformable by heat.

Additional securing and reinforcing means are provided for the surrounding frame, said means preferably consisting of tubular metallic sockets, as at 8, acting as spreaders or bracers for spacing the side sheets 5 and extending across the space between the latter, said sockets being preferably in one piece passing through and accommodated in a corresponding perforation, 9, in the portion of the panel sheet 1 which is inclosed within the surrounding frame. The sockets 8 are provided with threaded bores, as at 10, at their opposite ends, which register with openings, 11, in the side sheets 5, and these threaded bores receive screws, as at 12, the heads of which are preferably accommodated in countersunk recesses in the exterior surfaces of the side sheets 5 so that the plane surface of the latter is not impaired. The sockets 8 and securing screws 12 thus conjointly operate as spreaders or spacers between the side sheets 5, and as securing means for maintaining the elements of said surrounding frame in association with the main panel sheet 1, as well as means for securing and maintaining the spaced relative position of said side sheets 5 against warping or strain.

lVithin the interior area or space 7, at opposite sides of the edge portion of the main panel sheet 1, which spaces are inclosed by the surrounding edge frame, are arranged metallic plates, as at 11, which: preferably occupy both the transverse and vertical extent of said area or space 7 The metallic plates 14 are of irregular contour and are preferably constituted by a bowed body or central portion, as at 15, the apex of which bears againstthe inner face of the side sheet 5, and'terminal end flanges, 16, at right angles to the bowed main portion, which flanges, are therefore parallel to the inner faces of the opposite strips 2 and 3 of the surrounding edge frame and are preferably secured thereto in any suitable manner, for instance by means of screws, as at 17, which securing means operates to more effectually maintain the normal status of the metallic bracing plate 14 and also to brace the strips 2 and 3 by their connection with said. metallic plate which spans the space between said strips. The bowed portion 15 of said plates 14: is provided with openings, as at 18, to accommodate the securing screws 12. The bowed metallic sheets 14 thus form inner metallic cores for the surrounding edge frame, but do not impair the open area of the air chambers 7, and they also constitute an interior brace frame whereby the span of the side sheets 5 between the strips 2 and 3 is braced and said side sheets are maintained in their normal separated or relatively spaced status.

The outer faces of the main panel sheet 1 and of the side sheets 5 of the surrounding frame are suitably finished, in imitation of grained wood or as otherwise desired, and may be ornamented to, impart any desired efi'ect or characteristics to the door surface. In addition to the securing means hereinabove described, the adjoining faces of the strips 2 and 3 and side sheets 5 and the main panel sheet 1- arepreferably secured by a suitable adhesive, as at 19, extending over the opposing surfaces.

In providing the hinges for the improved door of the construction herein described, the outer edge face of the surrounding f 'ame portion is recessed, as at 20, to accommodate the hinge plate, 21, so that the latter will be flush with the edge of the door in the usual manner, and in the preferred hinge con.- struction a reinforcing plate, 22, is provided at the inner face of the strips 2 and secured thereto by screws, as at 23, or in any other suitable manner, and the screws 21- which secure the hinge plate 21 pass through the strip 2 and through said reinforcing plate 22.

In the preferred construction for securing the lock to the improved door, the strips 2 of the surrounding edge frame and the outer edge of the main panel sheet 1 are provided with a slot, as at 25, to accommodate the lock, 26, and the outer face of the edge portion of the surrounding frame is recessed, as as 27, at said slot, to accommodate the face flange, 28, of the lock, whereby said flange will be flush with the door edge, and the lock is secured in position by screws, as at 29, passing through said flange 28 and into the strips 2 of the surrounding edge frame.

The face plates for the knob and lock attachments are mounted against the outer surfaces of the side sheets 5 of the surrounding edge frame, and in the preferred construction are secured by interlocking transverse securing means constituted by tubular sockets, 30, passing across the interior spaces '7 and through the edge portion of the main panel sheet 1 and having their ends in perforations, 31, in the respective side sheets 5, these sockets being provided with threaded bores, 32, at their opposite ends, which receive screws, 33, by which the face plates, 31, are secured in position.

Under some circumstances of construction, I prefer to protect the outer edge of the surrounding edge frame by a metallic reinforcing or wear strip, as at 35, which consists of a relatively thin metal plate extending across the faces of the strips 2 and edges of the side sheets 5 and main panel sheet 1, at the edges of the door, and secured in position by means of screws, 36, entering the strips 2 of the surrounding edge frame. These edge plates 35 preferably have a convex inner surface, as at 37, the adjoining surfaces of the strips 2 and side sheets 5 and main sheet 1 being concaved to conform thereto, whereby the external side edges of the plate 35 are reduced to a minimum and the sides faces of the door edges do not show an exposure to any degree of the metallic edge wear strip 85, and under some circumstances of construction said strip 35 may be provided at its inner face with projecting flanges, as at 38, which enter correspondinseam ing recesses or grooves in the fireproof material of which the surrounding edge frame of the door is constructed.

The advantages of my improved door will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. The improved construction provides a very simple and light door structure which is thoroughly braced against any strains or condition of use, which can be easily and economically manufactured, and which will possess in maximum degree all the desired fireproof characteristics and strength, it being understood that under action of extreme heat the inclosed metallic core of the edge casing will be effectively protected against deformation, because of the surrounding fireproof material which is rigid and nonmetallic and undeformable by heat, and that therefore the door structure is maintained and will not break down under the action of heat.

I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the detail construction and arrangement of parts as herein shown and described, as it is manifest that Variations and modifications therein may be resorted to, in the adaptation of my invention to varying conditions of use, without departing from the spirit and scope ofv my invention and improvements. I therefore reserve the right to all such modifications and variations as properly fall within the scope of my invention and the terms of the following claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

An improved fireproof door, comprising a main panel plate formed of a rigid nonmetallic composition undeformable by heat, a casing surrounding the edge portion of said panel plate and formed of a rigid nonmetallic composition of low heat conductivity and undeformable by heat and entirely inclosing a central area or space at each side said panel plate, said edge casing being constituted by bars at each side the outer edge portion of said panel plate and bars at each side said panel plate at a point a suitable distance from the outer edge of said plate and side plates secured to the outer faces of said bars and extending over and inclosing said internal area or space, and a metal plate or sheet of irregular contour forming an internal metallic core and spanning and occupying said inclosed central area or spaces, the apex of the irregular contour of said metal plate bearing against the inner face of the side plate of said surrounding edge casing.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of the subscribing witnesses.

JAMES A. WHEELER.

Witnesses Bnssm COSTIGAN, LILLIAN BURROWS.

topics 011; this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

